Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thanksgiving weekend full of iced tea, hot tea and lots of "T"'s in between

This year's tablescape inspiration came from my new glass pumpkin

This Thanksgiving holiday weekend started out with freshly-brewed iced tea to go with an unseasonably warm and sunny November Thursday in Michigan. It ended on Sunday with several pots of hot tea to keep us toasty while snow covered the lawns. And, in between, we “t”-reated ourselves to an alliterative list of food and festivities: tablescapes, turkey, toasting, traditions, and tree-trimming. Not mutually exclusive, of course, but pretty much in that order.

The inspiration for this year’s Thanksgiving tablescape was my prized glass pumpkin. I bought this at the Arts, Beats and Eats festival in Royal Oak over Labor Day weekend. I splurged on not just a little pumpkin, but one of the largest. My brother-in-law persuaded me to go big or go home and I’m so glad he exerted his artistic influence in selecting the gourde grande.

(Incidentally, I didn’t realize how popular these were until I saw there was an entire glass pumpkin event held in the town of Novi (about 10 miles from my house) this October. I’m a fan, but even that surprised me).

Because the pumpkin was a good size, it made a great focal point and I framed it with two pilgrim candles on brass candles sticks and vintage turkey salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my mother. I placed a golden-brown tablecloth on the table and layered it with a cream-colored top. Then, I fanned out the matching golden-brown napkins in clear wine glasses to resemble a spread of turkey tail feathers. All we needed now was a feast worthy of such grandeur!

Rachel's homemade pumpkin and french silk pies

No worries there as my husband and Rachel cooked and baked a fantastic meal. We started with homemade onion soup with gruyere cheese, then moved to grilled asparagus with olive oil and seasonings, stuffing, rolls, cranberries and the ultimate brined roasted turkey with gravy. That was to be finished off with my daughter’s pie creations: pumpkin and French silk.

Preparing for combat on the game board

We toasted to a great dinner with the family and headed for more traditions of the day: naps, watching football and playing Risk. (I only conquered one continent this year but waged a respectable field strategy against my worth opponents.)

Tapping into battle strategy at the mall on Black Friday

The next day, replacing the board game with the mall, Rachel and I ventured out to do more battle at the Somerset Collection on Black Friday. Not our usual custom, but Rachel was motivated by some great deals and free tote bags from Victoria Secret. I have to admit, it was kind of fun to be part of the madness, but after seeing a long line outside of Vera Bradley just to get in the store (!), I knew it was time to go home.

Hot tea got us fueled up for tree trimming

Saturday and Sunday we saw a light dusting of snow on the ground and it created the perfect backdrop and mood for some tree trimming. Rachel brewed up some delicious loose black tea (esp emporium's Assam Mokalbari East) and we strained it with my most recent purchase from Kristeas. We put up two trees this year - one in the front room and a smaller one in the family room - then filled them with a multitude of ecclectic ornaments, from Muffy Vandebear figurines to finely crafted handblown glass orbs.

Rachel places ornaments on the big tree as Chris consults.

Rachel's "dorm tree" from Uncle Glenn finds a new home in our family room.

My daughter's theme for our holiday decor is "Christmas is Everywhere". A quick glance around our home, I can tell you she has been successful in implementation.

Thanksgiving started out mild and sunny but even though outside temperatures soon dipped, we kept the inner warmth throughout the weekend with family traditions and freshly brewed tea served hot or cold!